Australian golf course 'invaded' by killer sharks

For most backpackers overly worried about encountering a shark on their gap year the solution has has been relatively simple; they just don't go swimming in the ocean.

But now it appears that some travellers in Australia may not even feel safe inland. Sky News has reported that as a result of flooding some years ago, several bullsharks have become stranded in the lake of the Carbrook Golf Club course in Brisbane.

The club website explains: "In the early 90s the Logan River burst its banks, resulting in large volumes of water covering the course for an extended period of time.

"As the water level dropped, large volumes of fish species were contained in the many creeks and lakes of Carbrook."

The Queensland club is now home to six man-eating predators. However, it seems that the club is actually rather fond of the sharks and actively promote them on the Club website as a star feature of the course.

The sharks, which are between 8 and 10ft in length, are said to be thriving in the course lake, which lies just off the 14th tee. In fact, even though the lake is well stocked with fish, staff have been feeding them meat.

While it is common for golfers to retrieve stray balls from water hazards, players at Carbrook are discouraged from attempting such recoveries by signs alerting them to the prescence of the sharks. So far there have been no injuries as a result of the course's new residents.

It is not known whether club administrators plan to complement the deadly sharks with equally dangerous animals elsewhere on the course.

According to the International Shark Attack File shark-related fatalities worldwide are not common, with only 1 in every 11.5 million beach-goers attacked.

Statistics on shark-attributed golf course deaths are not available.

Story and quotes sourced from Sky News

Would you like to play on a golf course full of sharks? What sports could be improved by the inclusion of deadly predators? Do you have any strange animal encounter stories from your gap year? Let us know by leaving some comments below.